If you’re a Windows user and want to try Lisp, getting started can be a bit of a hassle. Now Patrick Krusenotto has come to the rescue with LispStick!, a Zip file that has everything you need to get started. Included in the package are
- SBCL
- Emacs
- SLIME
- Quicklisp
The software is installed in a single directory so you don’t have files scattered all over you file system. You can even run it from a flash drive if you want to carry your Lisp development environment with you.
If you’ve already had some experience with CL, you’ll know that the four pieces of software in the package are really everything you need. Having the easy-to-use Quicklisp available means that you can easily add libraries as you need them, something that was fussy and difficult before Quicklisp. Very nice.